Waste-fuel-oil-salvaging barge



H. M. FACKERT.

WASTE FUEL OIL SALVAGING BARGE. APPLICATION FILED OCT. 14. 1921.

1,406,950, Patented Feb. 14, 192;

, R WI TA/ESSES INVENTO W 18 ,7 22 23 HARRY/Z/QICKERC I Br A TTORNEYSUNITED S'lATl-Flfi raranr GFFICE.

HARRY M. FACKERT, 01E HILLSIDE, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR TO CHELSEA SHIPREPAIR CO. INC, 0E NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

WASTE-FUEL-OIL-SALVAGING BARS-E.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that l, HARRY M. FAcKnirr, acitizen of the United States, and a resident of Hillside, in the countyof Union and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and ImprovedWVaste-Fuel-Oil-Salvaging Barge, of which the following is a full,clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a method and apparatus of collecting wastefuel oil or other substances or liquids which have a less density thanwater and is particularly designed. for the collection of the same whendischarged from steamers or other vessels, or which has been previouslydischarged therefrom by removing the same from the surface of the water.

According to the present practice where oil is used as a fuel insteamers or other oil burning vessels, large storage tanks are installed in the vessel in which a supply of fuel oil is contained and asthe fuel oil is exhausted from each tank water is pumped into the sameto act as a ballast. It almost invariably happens that a greater or lessquantity of fuel oil remains in the tanks which mixes with the waterlater pumped in for ballast and which at the end of a voyage is pumpedout for the purpose ofemptying the tanks for refilling the same withfuel. At the present time more or less objection has been raised to thepumping of this mixture of water and oil into rivers, baysor harbors,and it is therefore an object of the present invention to provide ameans for expeditiously separating the fuel oil from the water as thesame is discharged from the vessel in order to prevent the discharge ofthe oil into the river, bay or harbor, and at the same time salvage theoil which would otherwise be wasted,

The invention further contemplates an apparatus of the character setforth which automatically operates to receive the mixed oil and waterdischarged from a vessel, separate the same, discharge the water andretain the oil.

As a further object the invention contemplates an apparatus of thecharacter described which is comparatively simple in its construction,inexpensive to operate and which. is highly eiiicient in its purpose.

With the above recited and other objects in view, the invention residesin the novel Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Feb, 14 1922Application filed. October 14, 1921.

Serial No. 507,783.

construction set forth in the following specification, particularlypointed out in the appended claims and illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings, it being understood that the right is reserved to embodimentsother than those actually illustratedherein to the full extent indicatedby the general meaning of the terms in which the claims are expressedand by variations in the phraseology of the same.

In the drawings- Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view through asalvaging barge constructed in accordance with the invention andillustratin the use and operation of the same.

Big. 2 is a sectional view taken approxi mately on the line 2-2 of Fig.1 and illustrating the water discharge valve.

Fig. 3 is a similar sectional view illustrating the gage which isemployed in connection with the apparatus. I

Figs. 4c and 5 illustrate diagrammatically the action of the barge whenin use.

Referring to the drawings by characters of reference, 10 designates thehull of a barge, having arranged centrally thereof a receiving tank 11spaced and sup orted from the bottom 12 of the barge an open at itsupper end. The barge is provided with a deck 13 at its upper end whichbridges the space bet-ween the outer sides of the tank 11 and the innerside of the sides of the hull, said deck being preferably provided withone or a number of hatchways 14 by which access may be had to theinterior of the hull. The space defined by the bottom, the deck, thesides of the hull and the bottom and side walls of the tank constitutesa buoyancy chamber 15. The tank 11 is provided with a horizontallydisposed foraminated baffle wall or screen 16 located adjacent itsbottom for a purpose to be hereafter set forth. A plurality of outletpipes 17 extend through the walls of the tank 11 and the side walls ofthe hull 10 for establishing communication between the interior of thetank and the outer side of the barge. The inner end of each outlet pipe17 communicates with a valve 18 having an upwardly extending controllingstem 19 and a manipulating handle 20 located at the upper end of thetank for the purpose of closing or opening the inner end of the outletpipe. A gage tube 21 of transparent material communicates with theinterior of the tank adjacent the bottom thereof and is provided at itsinner end with a valve 22 serving to close or open the same. A secondvalve 23 is located adjacent the outlet end thereof within the buoyancychamber whereby upon opening the inner valve 22 and closing said outervalve it is possible to observe the nature of the contents of the tank.

In use and operation the barge is anchored alongside of a vessel withthe tank disposed in a position to receive the discharge of the wastefuel oil and water through its upper open end. lVhenso arranged thevalves 18 are closed, the valve 22 open and the valve 223 closed. Thenormal buoyancy of the barge when empty is such as to cause the bottomof the hull to be submerged to such a depth as to approximately bringthe bottom of the tank in alignment with the surface of the water. Thedischarged mixture of fuel oil and water or other substance or liquid isreceived in the tank as illustrated in Fig. 1 until the same isapproximately full. A sufficient length of time is allowed to elapse topermit the fuel oil or other substance which is of a density less thanthe water to float to the top; the valves 18 are then opened and thewater within the barge in seeking a common level with the water in whichthe barge is floated will effect the drawing off ofthe water within thetank, the barge then being relieved of the weight of the water will bebuoyed up to a point where the floating oil seeks to escape, at whichpoint an observerwill know by the gage 21 that the remaining contentswithin the tank is oil. The valves 18 will then be shut off and theprocess continued until the tank is wholly filled with fuel oil whichhas been collected and salvaged. Where the tank is designed to contain alarge enough quantity the valves 18 may be opened and left open until acomplete filling of the same is effected with oil, the separating actionbeing continuously car ried on as the mixture is discharged into thesame. In this instance the foraminated battle wall or screen 16 servesto prevent disturbance of the contents between the same and the bottomof the container.

The method of efi'ecting the collection of a mixture of water and aliquid having less density than water, separating the same and drawingoff the waste to leave only the liquid consists essentially in leadingthe mixture into a tank supported by a buoyancy chamber within a body ofwater, establishing communication between the bottom of the tank and thebody of water to permit of the discharge of the contents of thetanktherefrom until the lower level of the liquid has a mutual levelwiththe body of water outside of the tank and cutting thereof.

ture, means for buoyantly supporting the i tank within a body of water,and means for respectivelyestablishing or cutting off communicationbetween thebottom of the tank and the body of water.

2. An apparatus for salvaging a liquid having less density than waterfrom a mixture of said liquid and waterrcomprising a receptacle adaptedto receive said mixture, means for buoyantly supporting said receptaclewithin a body of water, and means for respectively establishing orcutting off communication between the bottom of the receptacle and thebody of water.

3. An apparatus of the character set forth comprising a buoyant hull, areceiving tank supported within said hull, and meansat the bottom ofsaid tank for opening the same to the exterior of said hull to provideade vice for salvaging liquid having less density than water from amixture of said liquid with Water when'fioated in a body of water andfilled with the mixture.

4:. An apparatus for effecting the collection of a mixture of water andliquid having less density than water, the separation of the liquidtherefrom, and the expulsion of the water to leave only the liquidremaining, comprising a buoyant hull adapted to be floated in a body ofwater, a centrally arranged tank adapted to receive the mixture, andmeans at the bottom of said tank for establishing communication. betweenthe same and the outside of the hull.

5. An apparatus for effecting the collection of a mixture of water andliquid having less density than water, the separation of the liquidtherefrom, and the expulsion of the water to leave only the liquidremaining, comprising a buoyant hull adapted to be floated in a body ofwater, a centrallyarranged tank adapted to receive the mixture, means atthe bottom of said tank for establishing communication between the sameand the outside of the hull, and means having communication with theinterior of the bottom of the tank for observing the nature of thecontents ofthe same at the bottom 6. The herein described methodofefi'ecting the collection of a mixture of water and a liquid havingless density than water, separating the same and drawing off the waterto a level, only the liquid remaining, consisting in leading the mixtureinto a tank buoyantly supported within a. body of water; establishingcommunication between the bottom of the tank and said body of water topermit of the discharge of the water from the tank until the lower levelof the liquid has a mutual level with the body of water outside of thetank, and cutting oil communication between the tank and said body ofwater to retain the liquid within the tank.

7. The herein described method of separating a liquid having lessdensity than water from a mixture of said li uid and water, con sistingin leading the mlxture into the top of atank buoyantly supported withina body of water, permitting a sufiieient length of time to elapse toallow the liquid to separate and fioat on the top of the water in thetank, establishing communication between the bottom of the tank and thebody of water to permit of the discharge of the water within the tanktherefrom until the lower level of the liquid thereon reaches a mutuallevel with the body of water outside. of the tank, and cutting oficommunication between the tank and said body of water to retain theliquid within the tank.

HARRY M. FACKERT.

